James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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49. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when a new Southwest Regional Enterprise Plan will be brought forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62274/25]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Balanced regional development remains a Government priority. My Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through nine Regional Enterprise Plans (REPs). These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region.

My Department oversees implementation of the REPs at the national level. The most recent meeting of the REP National Oversight Group took place in June 2025 where implementation across all REPs was discussed. The next meeting of the REP National Oversight Group will take place on 26 November.

Each of the nine REPs is led by a Steering Committee which includes representatives from the enterprise agencies, local authorities, Regional Assemblies, higher education institutes and industry, who work collaboratively to drive implementation of the REP. Each REP includes actions under a number of strategic objectives relevant to each region.

As mentioned in responses to previous parliamentary questions, in consultation with stakeholders, the current plans were extended for one year to the end of 2025 to allow for further implementation of current objectives and actions, as well as consideration of the future of the REPs.

The Programme for Government commits to publishing and resourcing new Regional Enterprise Plans and ensuring detailed consultation with all relevant stakeholders. My Department is working to deliver on this commitment.

In Q1 2025, my Department appointed Indecon to conduct an independent review of the Regional Enterprise Plan initiative and the final report has been delivered. The report findings are being examined by my Department, and consideration is being given to the next steps, to learn from the current plans and improve our future approach. Once we have decided on how best to take things forward, we will be communicating to all relevant stakeholders.

Work is also underway on a new regional enterprise policy statement which will map out the regional enterprise policy landscape and facilitate better alignment of the REPs with the activities of other regional stakeholders.

Following publication of the policy statement in 2026, I expect the formal consultation process for the development of the next set of Regional Enterprise Plans to get underway, with the aim of publishing new plans in 2026.